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The differences between principal project engineers and senior principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal project engineer, becoming a senior principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $122,090 average annual salary of a principal project engineer.
The top three skills for a principal project engineer include project management, program management and DOD. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Principal Project Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $122,090 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $58.70 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 95,718 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A principal project engineer spearheads and oversees engineering projects, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to set guidelines and objectives, provide technical and engineering support to various teams, gather and analyze data, identify the strengths and weaknesses of existing procedures, implement solutions against problem areas, and conducting inspections to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's quality standards and safety regulations, including the state and industry laws. Moreover, as a principal project engineer, it is essential to monitor the progress of all operations, training junior engineers when necessary.
A senior principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Principal project engineers and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Project Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $122,090 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $200,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Texas | California |
| Best paying company | Alphanumeric | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between a principal project engineer and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Project Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between principal project engineers' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Principal Project Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.7% Female, 11.3% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 15.5% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 5% |